Department for Transport

Railways: Birmingham

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the feasibility of Network Rail's sleeper factory at Doncaster meeting the shortfall in production capacity in the event of the potential closure of Network Rail’s exiting sleeper factory at Washwood Heath, Birmingham.

Andrew Jones: A proposal for a new facility in Bescot is being developed by Network Rail to produce the sleepers necessary for them to maintain, renew, and enhance our rail network. The facility is intended to make up the shortfall when an existing facility at Washwood Heath is closed to become an HS2 depot. The Network Rail facility at Doncaster is not capable of being extended to increase capacity. The facility itself is entirely surrounded by adjacent development, railway lines, railway depots, housing and roads. It is operating at full capacity and only able to deliver production of 400,000 sleepers each year. Additionally, Network Rail require a geographically separate, second facility to avoid the supply chain risk of a single point of failure, should anything prevent production at a facility.

Railways: Birmingham

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what date Network Rail will cease production of railway sleepers at its factory in Washwood Heath, Birmingham; whether there is capacity to extend production beyond this date; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: A proposal for a new facility in Bescot is being developed by Network Rail to produce the sleepers necessary for them to maintain, renew, and enhance our rail network. The facility is intended to make up the shortfall when an existing facility at Washwood Heath is closed to become an HS2 depot. Network Rail is a customer of Cemex who own and operate the facility at Washwood Heath. Production is planned to cease at this facility on 14 June 2019. The HS2 programme requires vacant possession of the site in August 2019 to enable construction works to proceed. I have no plans to make a statement about the proposed facility.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Burundi: BBC

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government has taken in response to the Burundi Government’s recent decision to withdraw the BBC’s Operating Licence for that country, and if his Department will make representations to protest against the decision.

Harriett Baldwin: Freedom of the media is an essential quality of any functioning democracy. People must be allowed to discuss and debate issues freely, to challenge their governments, and to make considered decisions, informed by a strong and robust media. We therefore condemn the decision made by the Government of Burundi to revoke the BBC's operating license, particularly in light of the 2020 elections for which a free and independent media is vital. We strongly support the BBC's mission to bring high quality and impartial news to global audiences, including where free speech is limited. The Foreign Secretary has tweeted his disappointment and has urged the Government to reverse this decision. The UK Ambassador to Burundi and the UK Special Envoy to the Great Lakes are making representations to senior counterparts.

Najah Ahmed Yousif

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the validity of allegations that the Bahraini Embassy in London forged evidence against female activist Najah Yusuf by attributing to her tweets which were posted eight months after her conviction.

Mark Field: Our Embassy in Bahrain and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office continue to monitor the case of Najah Ahmed Yusuf and have raised her case at a senior level with the Government of Bahrain. I would also refer the Honourable Member to the statement made on 28 March by the Bahraini Government.

Rakhine State Advisory Commission

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the progress on implementing the Rakhine Advisory Commission's recommendations; and what steps he is taking to support those recommendations.

Mark Field: The British Government welcomed the report of the Rakhine Advisory Commission and its recommendations. We note that the civilian government in Myanmar has accepted the recommendations contained within the report and we continue to push for full implementation. We recognise that the government has started work on responding to some of the recommendations, but there is still significant progress that needs to be made. We continue to offer assistance to the Myanmar Government to address the long term issues in Rakhine and deliver for all communities.

Department of Health and Social Care

Human Papillomavirus: Screening

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Cytology/HPV tendering process in England; and if he will make a statement.

Seema Kennedy: In November 2015, the UK National Screening Committee recommended that human papillomavirus (HPV) screening should replace the currently used liquid based cytology test as the primary screening for cervical disease. NHS England has since worked with partner organisations to determine the most viable approach for how this service could be delivered safely, effectively and sustainably on a national level. A robust options appraisal process and due diligence process was undertaken by Public Health England and NHS England to determine the optimum number of laboratories required to provide HPV primary screening. This process resulted in the procurement of nine laboratories. The procurement process involved robust assessment of all bids received for these services and NHS England is in the process of finalising this stage in the procurement. It is planned that contract awards arising from the procurement process will be announced this month (April 2019). The National Health Service will remain the primary provider for cervical cytology screening in England and cervical screening remains part of the General Medical Services contract.

Pancreatic Cancer: Mental Health Services

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that there are established psychological interventions for people with pancreatic cancer.

Seema Kennedy: Cancer services are currently commissioned via physical health commissioners locally and would require each clinical commissioning group to provide information on their relevant pathways. Adults undergoing cancer treatment can access adult Improving Access to Psychological Therapies mental health services which provide evidence based psychological therapies for people with anxiety disorders and depression, in line with implementing National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

Tuberculosis

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle the incidence of tuberculosis in the UK.

Seema Kennedy: In 2015, Public Health England (PHE) and NHS England published ‘The 2015-2020 Collaborative Tuberculosis Strategy for England’, which sets out 10 areas for action to reduce tuberculosis (TB) incidence, reduce health inequalities and eliminate TB as a public health problem in England. PHE and NHS England continue to implement these 10 areas for action, which include improving access to services and ensuring early diagnosis, providing universal access to high quality diagnostics, improving treatment and care services, ensuring comprehensive contact tracing, improving BCG vaccination uptake, reducing drug-resistant TB, tackling TB in under-served populations, implementing new entrant latent TB screening, strengthening surveillance and ensuring an appropriate workforce to deliver TB control. Further information can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/collaborative-tuberculosis-strategy-for-england

Food: Labelling

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timeframe is for his Department to (a) bring forward legislative proposals on calorie labelling on menus and (b) publish a response to the public consultation on calorie labelling.

Seema Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Primary Care (Steve Brine MP) to the hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire (Andrew Selous MP) on 23 January 2019 to Question 210542.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: North East

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding the Government has allocated to services used by patients with ME in the North East.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will allocate additional funding to support charities providing direct services to people with ME in the North East.

Seema Kennedy: This data is not available. Services for people with myalgic encephalomyelitis are commissioned by local clinical commissioning groups. It is the responsibility of the local National Health Service commissioners to ensure NHS services are commissioned to meet local need and that they address any shortfalls in provision. Where appropriate, this will include commissioning services provided by voluntary sector organisations.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the additional places on the PrEP Impact Trial are offered across England; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS England PrEP Impact Trial Update - April 2019, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the finding that 37 councils in England have not provided additional places on the PrEP Impact Trial; and if he will make a statement.

Seema Kennedy: On 30 January, my Rt, hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced that the pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) Impact trial would be expanded. Rollout of additional places on the trial is now commencing. However, participation in the trial is on a voluntary basis for both clinics and local authorities.

Vaccination: Children

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many refusals, or opt outs, for vaccines in children have been registered in each year since 2010.

Seema Kennedy: Public Health England does not hold data on the number of refusals, or opt outs, for vaccines in children. Vaccine uptake data can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/vaccine-uptake

NHS: Drugs

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the supply of drugs for (a) epilepsy, (b) bipolar disorder and (c) neuropathic pain; and if he will make a statement.

Seema Kennedy: Medicines supply problems can occur for a number of reasons due to manufacturing difficulties, regulatory problems and problems with the supply of raw materials, or from issues which are related to the distribution of the product. The manufacture of medicines is complex and highly regulated, and materials and processes must meet rigorous safety and quality standards, so difficulties can arise for various reasons. The Department understand that maintaining access to anti-epileptic drugs, drugs for bipolar disorder and those used in the management of neuropathic pain is vitally important to many people in this country. We are aware of some issues with medicines used in epilepsy, bipolar disorder and neuropathic pain over the past few months. During this time, we sought specialist advice to allow a clinical management plan to be developed. Expert clinicians provided input on the clinical management plan to ensure affected patients can be managed appropriately during the supply issue. We communicated any information about the supply issue and clinical management plan to the National Health Service including patient groups. We continue to work closely with industry and partners in the health system to help prevent shortages and to ensure that the risks to patients are minimised when supply issues do arise.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS England PrEP Impact Trial Update – April 2019, if he will require trial sites outside of London to publish when they will release the additional places on the PrEP Impact Trial; and if he will make a statement.

Seema Kennedy: Rollout of additional places on the trial is now commencing and the trial website will be kept up to date to show the recruitment status of each clinic as additional places start to be released. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.prepimpacttrial.org.uk/

Dermatology: Waiting Lists

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has for proposals to improve waiting times for dermatology patients.

Stephen Hammond: Clinical commissioning groups are putting in place initiatives to help better manage the increasing demand for dermatology services. This has included developing clear multidisciplinary pathways and care models that address patients’ physical and psychological needs, better use of teledermatology as well as a clear model for community dermatology; using nurses, pharmacists and general practitioners with extended roles to ensure that patients receive the right treatment and care in the most appropriate setting. The National Health Service has worked with local sites and published a handbook that describes what local health and care systems can do to transform dermatology elective care services at pace, why this is necessary and how the impact of this transformation can be measured. Practical guidance for implementing and adopting a range of interventions locally is included to help ensure patients see the right person, in the right place, first time. The dermatology handbook can be found on the NHS England website at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/dermatology-elective-care-handbook-v1.pdf

Croydon Health Services NHS Trust

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Croydon Health Services NHS Trust has conducted an impact assessment on the UK's departure from the EU.

Stephen Hammond: The European Union Exit Operational Readiness Guidance developed by the Department, NHS England and NHS Improvement, published on 21 December 2018, lists the actions that providers and commissioners of health and care services in England should take if the United Kingdom leaves the EU without a deal. This will ensure organisations are prepared for, and can manage, the risks in a no deal scenario. All organisations that received this guidance were advised to undertake local EU Exit readiness planning, local risk assessments and plan for wider potential impacts. Risk assessments were to be undertaken by providers and commissioners of NHS services at a local level. In October 2018, National Health Service trusts were also asked to carry out a self-assessment exercise related only to non-clinical goods and services received by NHS trusts from external suppliers.

Diabetes: Training

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many diabetes coaches were employed in each Health Education England (HEE) region and (b) how many diabetes coaches training places were funded by HEE in each year since 2009-10; and what steps he is taking to employ more diabetes coaches in the NHS.

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Diabetes Specialist Nurses (DSN) were employed in each Health Education England (HEE) region and (b) how many DSN training places were funded by HEE in each year since 2009-10; and what steps he is taking to employ more DSNs in the NHS.

Seema Kennedy: Information on the number of diabetes coaches and diabetes specialist nurses who are employed in each Health Education England (HEE) region is not held centrally. Information on the number of training places funded by HEE for diabetes coaches and diabetes specialist nurses is not held centrally. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to continue to support local health systems to address inequality of access to multidisciplinary foot care teams and specialist nursing support for people who have diabetes. NHS England has made £80 million transformation funding available to clinical commissioning groups and sustainability transformation partnerships during 2017/18 and 2018/19 to deliver a programme focused on reducing variation and improving outcomes for people with diabetes. £9.8 million has been made available to put in place 30 new or expanded diabetes inpatient specialist nurse teams, reducing the lengths of hospital stays for people with diabetes through reducing medication errors and advising on effective treatment.

Diabetes: Nurses

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of diabetes clinics provide access to a Diabetes Specialist Nurse (DSN) phone line; and what steps his Department is taking to guarantee access to a DSN phone line to all diabetes patients.

Seema Kennedy: The information requested is not centrally held. Clinical commissioning groups are responsible for commissioning diabetes services and technologies for their local populations including access to diabetes specialist nurse phone lines. They are also expected to take National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines into consideration when making their decisions.

Diabetes: Nurses

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, the Government is taking to ensure that Diabetes Specialist Nurses (DSNs) have sufficient time to support patients with more complex needs and (b) what estimate he has made of the proportion of DSNs’ time taken up supporting such patients.

Seema Kennedy: The information requested is not centrally held. Transformation funding for inpatient diabetes specialist nurse teams will serve to increase capacity and time available to support patients with more complex needs.

Diabetes: Training

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the results of NHS England’s Diabetes Digital Coach Wave 1 Test Bed in the West of England Academic Health Science Network will be published; and what steps are being taken to replicate the successes of that project throughout the health service.

Seema Kennedy: Independent evaluations were undertaken for all Wave 1 Test beds, including for the Diabetes Digital Coach Test Bed. The successes and lessons learned from the test beds were disseminated locally by the Test Bed’s project teams and NHS England have published key reports on findings around undertaking evaluations and information governance. These findings have been incorporated in the design of Wave 2 of the Test Beds programme which is funding a further seven sites, including three sites focussed on the self-management of type 2 diabetes. The Evaluation Learning from Wave 1 document is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/nhs-england-test-beds-programme-evaluation-learning-from-wave-1/ The Information Governance Learning Handbook is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/nhs-england-test-beds-programme-information-governance-learning-from-wave-1/ More information on Wave 2 Test Beds can be found at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/innovation/test-beds/

Dermatology: Training

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment the Government has made of the quality of (a) undergraduate level and (b) specialist general practice dermatology training.

Stephen Hammond: Each individual medical school sets its own undergraduate medical curriculum. These have to meet the standards set by the General Medical Council (GMC) in ‘Promoting excellence’, who then monitor and check to make sure that these standards are maintained. The curricula for postgraduate specialty training is set by individual royal colleges and faculties, and the GMC approves curricula and assessment systems for each training programme. There are no specific medical dermatology undergraduate training pathways, as all medical students complete a medical degree and foundation training to the point of GMC registration, and then students can specialise in dermatology as part of a postgraduate core medical training and higher specialty training programme. Dermatology is one of 30 specialties within the medicine specialty group. It is a highly competitive specialty and often oversubscribed. The number of medical specialty training places in England that are available each year is set by Health Education England and is based on their assessment of service gaps and predicted workforce needs. There has been a 100% fill rate in dermatology training in England for the past six years. Dermatologist education and training and recruitment in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland is a matter for the devolved administrations.

NHS: Drugs

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of the (a) sabril, (b) enoxaparin and (c) fosamax in the NHS.

Seema Kennedy: The Department fully understand that maintaining access to Sabril, enoxaparin and Fosamax is vitally important to many people in this country. With regards to Sabril, we are aware there have been short term local distribution issues. However, this is expected to be resolved by mid-April with no further issues anticipated. We are not aware of any issues currently affecting the supply of enoxaparin and Fosamax, and supplies are available. We continue to work closely with medicine suppliers and partners in the health system to help prevent shortages and to ensure that the risks to patients are minimised when supply issues do arise.

Ophthalmic Services

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2019 to Question 231466, whether Public Health plans to make an assessment of the potential effect of changes to ophthalmic surgical practice on infection rates in hospitals; and whether such an assessment has been made of changes to NHS Tariff 2019/2020 HRG BZ91 which will have an effect on the number of concomitant treatments for cataracts and glaucoma.

Seema Kennedy: Public Health England does not currently include ophthalmic surgery as part of mandatory or voluntary surveillance of surgical site infections, nor are their plans to add it. The surveillance programme is developed in partnership with the National Health Service and focuses on surgeries where there is a high risk of infection and poor health outcomes following infection. In the development of the tariff, the Ophthalmology Experts Working Group (EWG) confirmed that minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) and cataract activity are commonly done together and it would not usually be in the patient’s best interest to do them separately. The EWG advised that the tariff was appropriate for combined MIGS and cataract activity.

Ophthalmic Services

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2019 to Question 231467 on Ophthalmic Services, whether an assessment has been made of the potential effect of the introduction of the 2019/2020 NHS Tariff on the ability of clinicians to take into account patients’ wishes for concomitant treatment.

Seema Kennedy: For the 2017/19 national tariff (which was set for two years), the prices for BZ91 were manually increased above the initially modelled level (based on 2014/15 reference costs) following feedback from the ophthalmology Expert Working Group (EWG). For 2019/20, the EWG recommended that the prices for BZ91 should not be increased and should remain as modelled (based on 2016/17 reference costs). The EWG also confirmed that minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) and cataract activity are commonly done together and it would not usually be in the patient’s best interest to do them separately. The EWG advised that BZ91 was appropriate for combined MIGS and cataract activity – a MIGS procedure plus a cataract procedure should not receive over twice as much as either procedure alone.

HIV infection: Ethnic Groups and Females

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his department has made an assessment of the potential merits of developing a public health campaign to reduce late diagnosis among (a) BME and (b) female people living with HIV.

Seema Kennedy: Reducing late diagnoses of HIV amongst black and minority ethnic (BAME) people and women living with HIV is already an aim of Public Health England’s (PHE) HIV prevention programmes. HIV Prevention England, the national HIV prevention campaign funded by PHE and delivered by Terrence Higgins Trust, aims to promote HIV testing to reduce undiagnosed and late HIV diagnoses in Black African communities (men and women), men who have sex with men, and other groups in which there is a higher or emerging burden of infection. Further information is available to view at the following link: https://www.hivpreventionengland.org.uk/ PHE also runs the HIV Innovation Fund which supports volunteer organisations leading new approaches to HIV prevention and focuses on engaging at-risk or under-served communities. Since 2015, the HIV Innovation Fund has supported 16 projects specifically targeted at Black African/other BAME people, and three targeted at women. Projects funded in 2018 are available to view the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/innovative-hiv-prevention-projects-reached-170000-people-in-2018

Silicosis: Diagnosis

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of advances in the abilities of medical practitioners to diagnose silicosis.

Seema Kennedy: The Department is committed to working in partnership with its arm’s length bodies, agencies and wider government to improve the lives of those with lung disease, including silicosis. In January 2019 the Department published the NHS Long Term Plan, announcing its ambition to improve outcomes for those with respiratory disease to match, or exceed, our international counterparts. The Long Term Plan includes commitments to expand access to programmes that support earlier diagnosis of silicosis: from 2019, the National Health Service will build on the existing NHS RightCare programme to reduce variation in the quality of spirometry testing. This will also include the expansion of the pioneering lung health checks trialled in Manchester and Liverpool and help detect a variety of conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease which can be caused by exposure to silica dust. On 8 February 2019, NHS England announced that Targeted Lung Health Checks will be one of the first projects to roll out following the launch of the Long Term Plan.

Prescriptions

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's policy is to ensure that people who require repeat prescriptions are able to have access to the medicine they require.

Seema Kennedy: The Government does not distinguish between acute and repeat prescriptions. Over two million prescription items – acute and repeat - are dispensed in England alone every day. Medicine supply problems can occur for a wide variety of reasons, and the Department has well established routine procedures to deal with shortages, from whatever cause, working closely with manufacturers, the National Health Service and patient groups.

Prescriptions

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the cost to the public purse has been of free repeat prescriptions in each of the last three years.

Seema Kennedy: Whether a prescription is a repeat or not is not indicated on the prescription. Therefore, the cost to the public purse of free repeat prescriptions is not recorded centrally. However, we know, for the past three years, that around almost 90% of prescriptions are dispensed free of charge.

Clinical Priorities Advisory Group

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the NHS has to utilise the NICE Commissioning Support Programme for the development of national clinical policies not yet scheduled for review by the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to enable members of the public to attend meetings of the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timeframe is for the roll-out of the use of patient impact reports as part of the clinical policy development process.

Seema Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 10 April 2019 to Question 239979, 239980 and 239981.

Obesity: Cancer

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the incidence of cancer caused by obesity.

Seema Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 April 2019 to Question 239986.

Arthritis: Children

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he is taking to support children with arthritis.

Seema Kennedy: In the United Kingdom, about 15,000 children and young people are affected by arthritis, with approximately 1,000 children diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) per year. JIA may continue into adulthood, and about a third or more of children with the condition still need treatment in adult life. Support for patients with long term health problems should include provision of a holistic assessment and the development of a personalised care plan, taking into account their needs and preference for care. Treatment for JIA can include anti-inflammatory drugs, steroids and disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), such as Methotrexate to suppress the immune response creating the inflammation. For patients who do not respond to DMARDs, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has approved several biological therapies (anti-tumour necrosis factor drugs), which work in a similar way to DMARDs, but are more targeted in addressing the immune response. As set out in the NHS Long Term Plan, published on 7 January 2019, NHS England is taking action in a range of areas to improve the care and support for children and young people. From 2019/20 clinical networks will be rolled out to improve the quality of care for children with long-term conditions. This will be achieved though sharing best clinical practice, supporting the integration of paediatric skills across services and bespoke quality improvement projects.

NHS: Staff

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support NHS staff with (a) stress and (b) depression.

Stephen Hammond: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 April 2019 to Question 239989.

Sickle Cell Diseases: Prescriptions

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December to Question 198332 on Sickle Cell Diseases: Prescriptions, what assessment he has made of the effect on BAME patients of his policy not to include sickle cell anaemia in the list of conditions for which a medical exemption certificate can be obtained.

Seema Kennedy: The Department has made no assessment. This is because there are extensive arrangements in place to ensure that people can access affordable prescriptions. To support those with the greatest need who do not qualify for an exemption, prescription prepayment certificates are available.

Pregnancy

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are taken by the relevant professional regulators to follow- up and address the non-compliance of the Pregnancy Prevention Program by Healthcare professionals.

Stephen Hammond: All United Kingdom registered healthcare professionals are expected to meet the professional standards set out in guidance by healthcare professional regulators, and work in line with the principles and values set out in that guidance. Guidance on consent for healthcare professionals prescribing medication, requires them to ensure that patients are aware of the potential for harmful side effects including, where relevant, the role of the Pregnancy Prevention Programme. Failure to meet or comply with standards set out in healthcare professional regulator guidance can put a healthcare professionals’ registration at risk. The Department does not hold the information on what steps are taken by the relevant professional regulators to follow-up and address the non-compliance of the Pregnancy Prevention Program.

Pain: Medical Treatments

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the recommendations on page 75 of the Faculty of Pain Medicine published in The Core Standards for Pain Management Services and the recommendations on page 8 of the General Medical Council published in Good practice in prescribing and managing medicines and devices, what assessment he has made of the potential benefit to people with chronic pain of receiving an annual review for their pain management services.

Seema Kennedy: No specific assessment has been made of the potential benefit to people with chronic pain of receiving an annual review for their pain management services. Whilst ultimately a matter for local processes and individual clinicians, annual reviews of patients with long term conditions or ongoing medication needs are a routine part of patient care. Annual reviews are also a key feature in guidance on the management of long-term diseases and disorders produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), such as ‘Neuropathic pain in adults’, and in clinical guidance produced by other organisations. NICE is in the process of developing a new clinical guideline ‘Chronic pain: assessment and management’, due for publication in August 2020. More information about this work can be found at the following link: www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ng10069

NHS: Property

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the current occupancy levels for properties owned by NHS property services.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average occupancy levels for properties owned by NHS property services were in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17, (c) 2017-18 and (d) 2018-19.

Stephen Hammond: NHS Property Services has responsibility for a large mixed estate of approximately 3000 properties, across approximately 3 million square metres, and with approximately 7000 individual tenancies. Occupiers range from general practitioners, providers, arm’s length bodies and many other organisations supporting health and social care services. With such a large and diverse portfolio that is subject to constant change both as business as usual and in support of transformational change, parts of the estate do become under-utilised or vacant. In terms of recorded vacant space this varies as space is re-occupied/disposed, new space becomes vacant or new buildings come into the portfolio. The overall average figures for occupancy levels for the years where data is available is shown in the following table: 2017/18 Average2018/19 Average88.07%89.31% In terms of the ‘average occupancy levels’, NHS Property Services does not hold the data for 2015/16 and 2016/17 as property information was captured on numerous different platforms many of which were not able to report on occupancy levels.

Genito-urinary Medicine

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the need for a sexual health action plan; and if he will make a statement.

Seema Kennedy: The Government set out its ambition for improving sexual health and wellbeing in A Framework for Improving Sexual Health in England, which was published in 2013. This can be viewed online at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-framework-for-sexual-health-improvement-in-england We consider the ambitions set out in the Framework remain relevant. However, we continue to keep this matter under review.

Department for Education

Teachers: Training

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of grammar instruction provided on teacher training courses.

Nick Gibb: To complete teacher training courses and become a qualified teacher, trainees must meet the standards set out in the ‘teachers’ standards’ published in 2011, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teachers-standards.This requires trainees to demonstrate good subject and curriculum knowledge, including taking responsibility for promoting high standards of literacy and the correct use of standard English, whatever the teacher’s specialist subject.The Department published further guidance, ‘A framework of core content for initial teacher training’ (ITT), in July 2016. This guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-government-response-to-carter-review.The framework sets out ITT providers’ responsibility to audit trainees’ subject knowledge early in their training, and make provision to ensure that trainees have sufficient subject knowledge to satisfy the teachers’ standards by the end of their training.At their most recent Ofsted inspection, 99% of all ITT providers were rated good or outstanding.In the Recruitment and Retention Strategy, published in January 2019, the Department committed to reviewing ITT core content guidance using the Early Career Framework as our starting point. Details of this can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-recruitment-and-retention-strategy.

Schools: Finance

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the total amount of funding provided to schools from the Condition Improvement Fund was in each of the last five years for which data is available.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the total amount of funding provided to schools in (a) Barnsley, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) Yorkshire and the Humber was from the Condition Improvement Fund in each of the last five years for which data is available.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools in (a) Barnsley and (b) South Yorkshire received grants from the Condition Improvement Fund in each of the last five years for which data is available.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applications for Condition Improvement Fund grants were received from schools in (a) Barnsley, (b) South Yorkshire, and (c) the UK in each of the last five years for which data is available.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, (a) how many and (b) what percentage of applications for Condition Improvement Fund grants received from schools in (a) Barnsley, (b) South Yorkshire, and (c) the UK were successful in each of the last five years for which data is available.

Nick Gibb: The Department has provided the information requested in the attached table, showing a regional breakdown of Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) for the last five years. However, please note that the information for CIF 2016-17 onwards does not include the funding amounts.Whilst the Department intends to publish funding information for transparency, accurate amounts for grants funded are not known until the work is complete and therefore the Department is unable to disclose the total funding amount for a CIF round until all the projects in that round are complete.To release the funding amounts applicants bid to CIF for, while procurement or construction works are ongoing, would hamper the ability of schools and sixth-form colleges to obtain value for money for the public purse from their contractors. It is the Department’s intention to release the individual project funding amounts for all CIF rounds and, to date, the Department has published the funding from 2015-16.



241080-84_CIF_regional_breakdown_
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Ministry of Justice

Courts: Reform

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the revised completion date of the courts reform programme on (a) the cost of the programme and (b) the predicted date when the cumulative benefits of the programme are expected to be greater than the cumulative costs.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 15 March 2019



Learning from the services that have already been delivered and the feedback received, we have decided to re-order aspects of the programme to allow more time to develop some of the shared systems that sit behind our next set of online services, working to an updated finish date of 2023. The overall budget will remain unchanged. The cumulative benefits are expected to be greater than the cumulative costs from 2024/25, a year later than previously expected.

Electoral Register: Prosecutions

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been prosecuted for failing to register on the electoral register; and what the average level was of the fine imposed; in each of the last five years.

Rory Stewart: The Ministry of Justice holds data on the number of people prosecuted and fined for failing to provide required information to an electoral registration officer, which can be seen in the table below:  20132014Prosecuted1115Received a fine452Average fine£242£600  Figures on criminal prosecutions are not available beyond 2014 because a change in legislation saw failing to register on the electoral register become a civil (rather than criminal) matter. For years following 2013, failing to register on the electoral register was dealt with as a standard fine, where local councils can send letters requesting the fine rather than beginning a civil case. Only if the offender refuses to pay, and the council believes it is worth pursuing, would the case be sent to county court and recorded as a ‘specified money claim’. However, centrally held information does not separately identify ‘failing to register on the electoral register’.

Probation

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to review the provision by community rehabilitation companies and the not for profit sector of probation services.

Rory Stewart: I am clear that public, private and voluntary sector providers all have an important role to play in probation. In developing arrangements for the future of probation after current contracts for Community Rehabilitation Companies expire, we are reflecting carefully on the balance of public, private and voluntary sector in delivering probation services. This includes ensuring we harness the dedication and commitment of the voluntary sector to rehabilitate offenders and reduce reoffending. We will set out more detailed plans shortly.

Domestic Abuse

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many vexatious or meritless applications were taken out by perpetrators of domestic abuse where the subject of the application was the victim in each of the last three years.

Rory Stewart: Holding answer received on 12 April 2019



The Ministry of Justice does not hold data relating to whether individual cases were taken out on a vexatious basis, as there is no statutory definition for this. In addition, data relating to domestic abuse cases handled by the family courts does not identify whether the applicant has previously been a perpetrator of domestic abuse. However, it is unacceptable for someone to use court processes to harass or abuse a former partner. The family court has wide powers to manage such situations, including striking out an action it views as an abuse of process, and the power to prevent a person from making further applications without prior permission of the court. This Government is committed to transforming the response to domestic abuse, and the recently published draft Domestic Abuse Bill and consultation response set out our ambitions in this area. We want to ensure that victims have the confidence to come forward and report their experience, safe in the knowledge that the justice system and other agencies will do everything they can both to protect and support them and their children and pursue their abuser.

Family Courts

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many family courts centres have stopped operating in the UK in each year since 2010.

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many family court centres have stopped operating in each region of the UK in each year since 2010.

Rory Stewart: Her Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service is responsible for the administration of the family courts in England and Wales only. The structure of the family court was changed by the creation of the Single Family Court in April 2014 which led to the creation of Designated Family Courts New family courts, East London and West London Family Courts were established as part of these reforms and these courts, and the Central Family Courts, absorbed much of the work which had previously been dealt with at twenty three County and Family Proceedings Courts. It is not possible to provide details of court closures prior to April 2014. Details of family court closures from 2014-2019 are set out in the table below: Location2014 (from 22 April 2014)20152016201720182019 (to 5 April 2019)London000000Midlands000000North East000000North West000100South East000001South West000100Wales000000National000201

Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the total amount awarded to to victims by the criminal injuries compensation scheme was in each year since 2010.

Rory Stewart: Holding answer received on 12 April 2019



The total compensation awarded under the criminal injuries compensation schemes, including the victims of overseas terrorism compensation scheme, in each financial year is available in the CICA Annual Report these are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=criminal-injuries-compensation-authority

Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people received payments from the criminal injuries compensation scheme in each year since 2010.

Rory Stewart: Holding answer received on 12 April 2019



The number of people who received payments under the criminal injuries compensation schemes in each financial year from 2010/11 is detailed in the table below. Financial YearNumber of people who received payments2010/1139,7062011/1232,8692012/1329,2452013/1418,9842014/1515,6812015/1613,2452016/1713,8562017/1816,781

Legal Aid Scheme: Refugees

Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department made in the Post-Implementation Review of Part 1 of LASPO of the potential merits of making legal aid available for refugee family reunion applications including for applications to bring adult dependent children to the UK.

Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will reintroduce legal aid for refugee family reunion cases.

Rory Stewart: We have committed to lay legislation to bring non-asylum immigration matters into the scope of legal aid for separated migrant children. Legal aid for family reunion may be available under the Exceptional Case Funding (ECF) scheme, where there is a breach or risk of breach of ECHR rights, and subject to means and merits tests. We recently committed to work with the Legal Aid Agency, legal practitioners and others to review and simplify the ECF application process and ensure that funding is provided in as timely a manner as possible.

Department for International Trade

Overseas Trade: India

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what plans he has to increase trade between the UK and India.

Graham Stuart: The Department for International Trade is already working to increase trade between the UK and India and strengthen our trade partnership. Our productive collaboration with the Government of India through ministerial JETCO meetings and the official-led Joint Working Group on Trade is continuing to make progress in unblocking market access barriers, building on the UK-India Joint Trade Review. The appointment of Crispin Simon, Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner, provides a joined-up and coordinated government effort, with increased focus on tackling market access barriers to grow bilateral trade. Trade continues to grow, in 2018 UK-India overall trade increased by 14% to £20.5bn in comparison to 2017.

Trade Promotion

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure increased cooperation with the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on common goals in relation to Her Majesty's Trade Envoys.

Graham Stuart: There is close collaboration between the Trade Envoys, DIT, DfID and FCO to ensure a joined-up approach in relation to trade and investment in developing countries and in building inclusive growth in the wider global economy, using the full range of expertise the British government can offer.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Housing Ombudsman Service

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2019 to Question 234648 on Housing Ombudsman Service, what effect the 35 per cent reduction in the subscription fee for the Housing Ombudsman Service has had on the length of time taken by that service to determine cases entering its formal remit.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Housing Ombudsman Service is funded by subscription fees from its members on a per housing unit per year basis. Unit costs were £1.47 in 2013-14, £1.02 in 2014-15 and £0.96 in 2015-16 and 2016-17. In accordance with paragraph 3 of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme approved by the Secretary of State, the Ombudsman sets the level of subscriptions by reference to budgeted cash requirements, including a prudent provision for relevant contingencies.We are working with the Housing Ombudsman to reduce the time it takes to determine their cases. From 2017-18, the Department approved a fee increase to £1.25 for three years that is helping deliver reductions in average complaint determination times and business improvements. The proposed fee for 2019-20 was set out in the Housing Ombudsman’s draft Business Plan 2019/20 for consultation. Together with the Corporate plan 2019-22, it sets out a series of strategic priorities and measures of success for the coming year and includes its plans for subscription levels.

Local Government: Devolution

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to provide for further devolution of powers in relation to political decision-making throughout England.

Jake Berry: The Government remains committed to setting out our approach to devolution and providing clarity for local areas. We will look to publish our approach as soon as practicable after our exit from the EU.

Retail Trade: Urban Areas

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to place restrictions on the expansion of out of town shopping centres to protect high streets.

Jake Berry: The revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) reaffirms our commitment to the town centre first approach, which has been in place for two decades, by stating that main town centre uses should, where possible, be located in town centres.The Framework is also clear that if an application fails to satisfy the sequential test, or if an application for retail and leisure development outside of a town centre has an adverse impact on existing centres, it should be refused.

Private Rented Housing

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what support the Government provides to tenants in the private rented sector to ensure they are not priced out of their accommodation.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: We believe the key to improving affordability for tenants is to build more homes for rent. Institutional investment in purpose-built privately rented homes is increasing, with over 29,000 homes delivered since 2012, and around 110,000 in the pipeline. We supported the Build to Rent sector with a £3.5 billion Private Rented Sector Guarantee Scheme and changes to the National Planning Policy Framework.We are also committed to making housing for rent more affordable now. This includes:banning lettings fees paid by tenants and capping tenancy deposits with the Tenant Fees Bill, which will come into force on 1 June 2019.supporting landlords and tenants to agree appropriate rent increases through the free-to-use model tenancy agreement.supporting tenants that have difficulty paying the rent via Targeted Affordability Funding that will top-up Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates in areas where affordability pressures are greatest.providing an enhanced Discretionary Housing Payment fund for Local Authorities to protect the most vulnerable claimants impacted by welfare reforms such as the freeze to LHA rates.making £20 million available through the Private Rented Sector (PRS) Access Fund to enable better access and sustainment of tenancies for people who are, or at risk of becoming, homeless.

Planning Permission: Biodiversity

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of what action his Department has taken to ensure that nationally significant infrastructure projects meet the same expectations made of local developments regarding habitats and biodiversity as set out in the National Planning Policy Framework.

Kit Malthouse: Applications for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects have to meet the relevant legal obligations on habitats and biodiversity, and are determined in accordance with a National Policy Statement where one exists (unless a statutory exemption applies). Where relevant and appropriate, the designated National Policy Statements have had regard to prevailing national planning policy when drafted and have included policies on habitats and biodiversity.The National Planning Policy Framework can be an important and relevant consideration in determining applications for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (irrespective of whether a National Policy Statement applies).

Ministry of Defence

Nuclear Submarines

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost has been of re-painting a (a) nuclear submarine in-service, (b) decommissioned nuclear submarine, (c) ballistic missile submarine in-service and (d) decommissioned ballistic missile submarine in the most recent period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Stuart Andrew: This information is not held in the format requested. The cost of repainting In-Service submarines is dependent on the Class and will vary with the individual platform material state. These costs form part of wider submarine maintenance contracts and are not easily identifiable separately.In a similar manner, for decommissioned submarines, the cost forms part of the Survey and Docking Periods, which are conducted every 12 to 15 years; these costs also vary dependent on the Class of Submarine and individual material state.

Department for Work and Pensions

Employment: Autism

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to assess the effectiveness of the local supported proof of concept initiative in closing the autism employment gap.

Justin Tomlinson: Proofs of Concept are not designed to provide evidence of impacts on national employment trends. Rather, they allow us to test whether a policy idea is deliverable. The Local Supported Employment Proof of Concept is a relatively small scale programme exploring how combining central and local budgets enables Local Authorities to scale up delivery of Supported Employment. The initiative is designed to support people with a learning disability or autism who are known to adult social care, or who are in contact with secondary mental health services. By working with local authorities, there may be an opportunity for DWP to drive a much stronger focus on job outcomes and on evidence-based commissioning using the Supported Employment model. We are currently considering our next steps to build on this Proof of Concept.

Employment: Autism

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to tackle the underemployment of people diagnosed with autism.

Justin Tomlinson: DWP is committed to helping people with health conditions and disabilities, including autism move nearer to the labour market and, when ready, into work, by building more personalised tailored employment and health support. The majority of DWP’s schemes and programmes are focused on helping people, including people diagnosed with autism, prepare for and enter work. For example: The Work and Health Programme, which rolled out between November 2017 and March 2018, will support around 275,000 people over five years - the majority whom (around 220,000) will be disabled people who can volunteer for the programme at any time. The new Intensive Personalised Employment Support programme, which is due to be rolled out across England and Wales at the end of 2019, will provide highly personalised packages of employment support for people with both disabilities and complex barriers to employment who are considered by DWP work coaches to be more than 12 months from the labour market without intensive support The Local Supported Employment proof of concept is currently exploring how we can combine central and local budgets to scale up delivery of Supported Employment locally. This initiative is designed to explore how a matched funding model could support people with a learning disability or autism who are known to adult social care, or who are in contact with secondary mental health services. Disabled people who are already working, or who are about to enter work, can apply for in-work support from Access to Work scheme. The scheme has a Hidden Impairment Support Team that provides advice and guidance to help employers support employees with conditions like autism, as well as offering eligible people an assessment to find out their needs at work and help to develop a support plan. In addition, DWP is engaging with employers through the Disability Confident scheme - supporting them to feel more confident about both employing disabled people, including autistic people, and supporting disabled employees to realise their potential. Over 11,500 employers have signed up to the scheme so far.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Horses: Imports

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what checks will be carried out on the documentation required by equines entering the UK once the UK has left the EU.

David Rutley: No new animal health checks at the point of entry will be introduced as a result of the UK leaving the EU. Equines entering the UK from the EU will be required to pre-notify APHA (or DAERA in Northern Ireland) if they are travelling using a UK Health Certificate or from France using a commercial document (UK DOCOM). The UK Health Certificate is a replacement for the existing Intra Trade Animal Health Certificate used for EU trade. The UK DOCOM is a replacement for this existing DOCOM used for the movement of high health status horses from France to the UK. Equines entering the UK directly from the EU will not be required to do so via a border inspection post. Risk based checks will continue to be undertaken at the point of destination on these equines. Equines entering the UK from third countries will follow the same processes as they do now, with checks undertaken at an approved UK BIP.

Birds: Conservation

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of restricting the use of netting across trees and hedgerows during the bird-nesting season.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We all have a responsibility to our local environment and its inhabitants and this applies to developers too. When associated with development these sorts of practices should only be used to help protect birds. We expect local planning authorities to look at these practices closely and take action where necessary. Guidance is available for local authorities. The revised National Planning Policy Framework is clear that planning policies and decisions should contribute to, and enhance, the natural and local environment by minimising the impacts on, and providing net gains for, biodiversity.

National Parks

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential benefits of increasing the number of national parks.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Natural England is responsible for appraising suggestions for new or extended designated areas. This is a statutory process set out in Part IV of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. A review of National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (designated landscapes) was launched in May. It is being led by Julian Glover and is considering the case for the extension or creation of new designated areas. We expect the review to report in autumn 2019.

Gardens: Biodiversity

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department and its agencies have made of the effect of residential gardens on biodiversity.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: There are a number of research studies that demonstrate the value of domestic gardens for wildlife. For example, a 2019 study led by the University of Bristol found that bees were more abundant in well managed gardens and allotments than most other urban land uses. Under the National Pollinator Strategy the Government works with research, voluntary and private sector partners to develop advice so that everyone can provide and manage nesting and feeding habitat for bees and other insects in their gardens, window boxes, allotments or community gardens. We promote this advice through the “Bees’ Needs” website and through the annual “Bees’ Needs Week” campaign to celebrate and encourage nationwide action. We are also addressing the needs of biodiversity in urban areas through plans to introduce a biodiversity net gain requirement. This will help to ensure that new developments include wildlife-friendly green spaces. The biodiversity metric that will be used to measure biodiversity net gain takes account of newly created gardens, so that this policy could help to incentivise the creation of gardens which have greater potential to become havens for local species. We will continue to work in partnership with scientists and practitioners to review and improve the evidence base to inform our policy and we will be sharing examples of nature-friendly gardening during the 2019 Year of Green Action.

Veterinary Services: Ombudsman

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of creating (a) an independent veterinary ombudsman and (b) a pet owner's charter.

David Rutley: The Royal College of Veterinary Services (RCVS) is responsible for investigating any concerns about veterinary surgeons and registered veterinary nurses. The Government is not aware that there is any reason to replace the RCVS with an alternative body. In terms of a pet owner’s charter, there are already statutory Codes of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs, Cats, Horses and Primates made under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which provide owners and keepers with information on how to meet the welfare needs of these animals. We also advise anyone thinking of buying a puppy or kitten to take certain precautions, including checking whether the breeder is signed up to the Puppy Contract or meets the Kitten Check-List criteria which were developed by the Canine and Feline Sector Group (a group of animal welfare, veterinary, local authority and pet industry organisations). Prospective buyers can also check whether the breeder is licensed by the local authority by checking the licence number on any advertisement, which is a requirement of the new regulations on dog breeding.

Countryside Stewardship Scheme

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many 2019 countryside stewardship start date agreement holders and applicants are still awaiting their agreement offer.

Mr Robert Goodwill: 99% of 2019 Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier and Mid Tier agreement offers have been issued to applicants. There are 7 Higher Tier and 60 Mid Tier offers yet to be made to applicants. The Rural Payments Agency is in contact with these applicants.

Moorland: Surveying

Sir Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the additional cost to landowners of surveying moorland under the proposed new legislation from Natural England.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Natural England does not have the powers to legislate or propose legislation.

Home Office

Deportation: West Africa

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 October 2018 to Question 174681 on Deportation: West Africa, how many of the 60 people on board the charter flight bound for Nigeria and Ghana on 28 March 2017 which was prevented by protesters from leaving Stansted airport have been granted the right to remain in the UK; how many of those granted leave to remain were referred under the National Referral Mechanism for the identification of victims of trafficking; how many people have contacted the Windrush taskforce; and of those granted leave to remain, on what basis was that immigration status granted.

Caroline Nokes: Of the 60 people due to be removed on that flight, four have been granted the right to remain in the UK.Any individual who believes they are protected under the provisions of the 1971 Immigration Act is able to contact the Windrush Taskforce, which will help to identify their current status. None of the individuals have contacted the Taskforce.Of the four people who have been granted the right to remain in the UK, two have been issued a residence card as a non-EEA national family member confirming a right to reside in accordance with EEA Treaty rights, one has been granted leave to remain on Human Rights grounds, and the other has been granted leave to remain following a conclusive grounds decision under the National Referral Mechanism for the identification of victims of trafficking.

Migrant Workers: Health Professions

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the immigration system enables the movement of highly-skilled individuals into the NHS and those working in cancer research after the UK leaves the EU.

Caroline Nokes: In December 2018, the Government set out its proposals in “the UK’s future Skills-based Immigration System” White Paper. The White Paper proposals include a new route for skilled workers which will be open to anyone at RQF level 3 and above, irrespective of where they are applying from. This route will not be capped allowing all of those who meet our requirements to come to the UK.The White Paper also includes a transitional route for temporary workers which will be open to anyone from qualifying countries, wishing to fill posi-tions at any skill level, for up to 12 months. We do not intend to impose a cap on the number of people wishing to use the route.The White Paper is the start of a new conversation and we have launched a year-long engagement programme to take the views of a range of stake-holders across the UK, including the health and social care sector.We are determined to ensure that the future immigration system is efficient and able to respond to users’ needs.

Cabinet Office

Cybercrime

Henry Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent steps his Department has taken to help improve the cyber security of (a) public and (b) private sector organisations.

Mr David Lidington: Our world leading National Cyber Security Strategy, supported by £1.9 billion of transformational investment, sets out measures to defend our people, businesses, and assets; deter our adversaries; and develop the skills and capabilities we needOur experts in the National Cyber Security Centre continually provide simple advice and guidance to help public and private sector organisations be more resilient to cyber attacks. This advice can be found on the newly redesigned NCSC website(www.ncsc.gov.uk) which makes finding guidance easier for a range of visitors..

Conflict, Stability and Security Fund

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress he is making on improving the transparency of the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund.

Mr David Lidington: The CSSF has now published two Annual Reports, 83 programme summaries for 2018/19 (in addition to the 62 programme summaries published for 2017/18) and 64 Annual Review summaries for 2017/18 (in addition to the 49 published for 2016/17. The CSSF is working towards meeting a “good” International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) rating by 2020 in line with the government’s commitment. There is a presumption to publish programme information for all CSSF programmes, and for 2018/19 83 out of our 90 programmes, had programme summaries published. The two key reasons why we may not be able to make programme documentation public are to protect national security and to protect the safety and security of beneficiaries, partners and partner governments.  The latest Annual Report and programme summaries took on many of the suggestions received from stakeholders in the development sector. The Annual Report included a chapter on spend with break downs by ODA and non-ODA, department, region, theme and discretionary and non-discretionary budgets. In addition, Programme summaries broke down project spend by ODA/non-ODA splits. We are also working to publish more Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend information on Devtracker. We have published data for all FCO and DFID CSSF programmes for the last six quarters and are currently working on the next quarter.

Treasury

Business: Investment

Mr David Davis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he plans to take to increase business investment in the UK after the UK leaves the EU.

Robert Jenrick: The Government continues to work towards leaving the EU with a deal, which will allow us to honour the referendum, while also protecting jobs and our economy. The government is committed to providing the right economic environment for businesses to invest and grow. Businesses will also benefit from recently announced tax measures such as the introduction of a new allowance for the construction costs of new qualifying non-residential structures and buildings, which will provide billions of pounds of additional relief for UK businesses. The Government has also increased the Annual Investment Allowance from £200,000 to £1 million for two years, significantly increasing the amount of relief businesses receive on qualifying investment in the first year. Additionally, our modern Industrial Strategy sets out a clear plan for how we can boost productivity throughout the UK, including increased public investment in infrastructure and R&D. At Budget 2018 we increased the size of the National Productivity Investment Fund to £37 billion and since 2010 there has been £600 billion of capital investment including in roads, rail, digital and skills.

Customs

Dame Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress HMRC has made on its moving its inland pre-clearance operations to new purpose-equipped sites at Hayes and Milton Keynes; and what contingency measures HMRC has implemented to mitigate delays as a result of that move.

Mel Stride: HMRC’s new Inland Pre-Clearance sites are now operational. The move resulted in a temporary backlog of consignments for examination. HMRC has triaged consignments using a principled risk-based approach, releasing some consignments without prejudice to any further compliance action, and has also examined other consignments at the port. HMRC is now moving remaining containers from the ports for examination.

Revenue and Customs: Fines

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the HMRC penalties issued in 2018 by size of business.

Mel Stride: The purpose of penalties is to encourage taxpayers to comply with their obligations, act as a sanction for those who do not and to reassure those who do comply that they will not be disadvantaged by those who do not. Penalties are not used as a revenue-raising mechanism. Parliament determines the laws relating to tax and to whom they apply. HMRC apply those laws fairly and do not discriminate between different taxpayers or size of business. HMRC can apply a large number of different penalties, but they break down into three broad areas: • Automatic penalties for failure to meet a time-bound obligation, such as submitting returns or making payments by a specified deadline; • Penalties for failure to meet a regulatory obligation, such as the requirement to keep certain records; and • Behaviour-based penalties for inaccurate returns and documents and failure to notify taxable status. A penalty is not payable if a person had a reasonable excuse for failing to meet an obligation or took reasonable care to avoid submitting an inaccurate return. HMRC does not record data on penalties issued by size of business.

Regional Assistance

Marion Fellows: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2019 to Question 238660, how much regional aid spending in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) England was not subject to the Barnett formula for each year since 2009.

Elizabeth Truss: Pursuant to my answer of [10 April 2018] to Question 241453, the Barnett formula is applied to all changes in the budgets of UK Government departments rather than to specific areas of spending. It is not therefore possible to say how much funding the devolved administrations received in relation to departmental spending on regional aid in England. In addition, Barnett consequentials do not arise from any spending in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland where there is no change to UK Government departmental spending.  EU funding for regional aid expenditure does not attract Barnett consequentials as there are separate arrangements for allocating these funds between departments and the devolved administrations.

Tobacco: Smuggling

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to wholesalers of the new Track and Trace system on tobacco products; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Jenrick: HMRC has not made its own estimate of the cost to wholesalers of the tobacco track and trace system. The EU commission carried out several consultations during the development of this policy, and published an Impact Assessment covering the EU implementing legislation on 15 December 2017. It remains an accurate summary of the impacts of the new track and trace system on tobacco products.

Tobacco: EU Law

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how the level of compensation for the hardware and software for the recording and transmission of the information for product movement and transactional events to the data storage systems (Article 15(7) of TPD2014/40/EU) was calculated.

Robert Jenrick: As required by Article 15(7) of the Tobacco Products Directive, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has ensured tobacco manufacturers and importers have arrangements in place to provide economic operators with the equipment necessary to record and transmit track and trace transactions. These arrangements, which include the level of compensation offered, are contractual matters between tobacco manufacturers and importers, and the companies in their supply chains. HMRC has not been involved in these contractual discussions and is unable to comment on how the compensation is calculated.

Tobacco: Smuggling

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HMRC will take to (a) enforce the regulations within the Tobacco Track and Trace scheme past 20 May 2019 and (b) ensure that business have adequate time to register for Economic Operator identifier codes.

Robert Jenrick: The Tobacco Products (Traceability and Security Features) Regulations 2019 include sanctions for non-compliance with the track and trace scheme. This includes the power to seize non-compliant tobacco products and deactivate an Economic Operator’s ID Code. From 20 May 2019, businesses will be unable to legally buy or sell tobacco products without a valid ID Code. These sanctions will help protect legitimate business from rogue operators selling illicit tobacco products. HMRC recognises that businesses will need time to become familiar with the new arrangements. During the 12-month sell through period, HMRC will support businesses to understand their obligations, and engage with other enforcement agencies, including Border Force and Trading Standards, to ensure effective and proportionate enforcement of the regulations. De La Rue (the UK’s appointed ID issuer) published details of the registration process and general guidance on 25 March 2019. The registration process will open on 23 April for manufacturers and large retailers, and on 30 April for all other businesses. This will help to stagger the registration process and facilitate the registration of businesses by the deadline of 20 May 2019.

NHS: Linlithgow and East Falkirk

Martyn Day: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of the number of NHS employees in Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency who face increased tax bills as a result of the changes to the tapering of the annual allowance combined with the introduction of the 2015 NHS pension scheme.

Elizabeth Truss: HM Treasury sets the UK-wide tax rules for pensions, and does not set the rules for individual schemes. The Government keeps all aspects of the tax system under review through the annual Budget process. Health is a devolved matter for the Scottish Government. The Scottish Public Pensions Agency are responsible for the administration of the pensions for employees of the National Health Service schemes in Scotland. HM Treasury therefore does not hold relevant data about NHS employees in the Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency.

Visas: Skilled Workers

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the net fiscal effect on the public purse of the Government’s decision to increase the number of Tier 5 Exceptional Talent visas from 1,000 to 2,000.

John Glen: The Treasury has not made an assessment of the net fiscal impact of increasing the number of Tier 1 Exceptional Talent visas available. In 2018, the number of Exceptional Talent Visas granted was within the previous quota. The increase in quota ensures that we have sufficient headroom in the Exceptional Talent route to continue to attract highly skilled people from across the globe; and is a demonstration of the Government’s commitment to ensuring that the UK remains a world-leader in the digital technology, science, arts and the creative sectors.

Research and Development Tax Credit

Chris Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to modernise the research and development tax credit to include real-world studies and costs relating to health data to reflect the (a) changing nature of pharmaceutical research and development and (b) ambitions of the UK to be a leader in those areas.

Chris Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to modernise the research and development tax credit to include regulatory and other roles integral to pharmaceutical research and development to reflect the multi-disciplinary nature of this work and provide an internationally competitive incentive.

Chris Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to change the research and development tax credit to include (a) data processing, (b) clinical trial management and (c) other activity that is subcontracted to third party suppliers in order to match the small medium enterprise research and development tax credit scheme.

Mel Stride: Research and Development (R&D) tax reliefs are an effective and internationally competitive element of the government’s support for innovation. In 2015-16 they provided £3.7 billion worth of relief to innovative businesses and the partial outturn data for 2016-17 shows that this support is on track to rise further. The government keeps all tax reliefs under review. The government prioritised science and innovation spending at the 2015 Spending Review and since 2016 and has committed an additional £7bn for R&D by 2021-22. This is the largest increase in support for R&D for 40 years and demonstrates progress towards the Industrial Strategy target of increasing economy-wide R&D investment to 2.4% of GDP by 2027. The UK’s Life Sciences sector is an important part of our economy, contributing over £70 billion a year and 240,000 jobs across the country. The government published two Life Sciences Sector Deals which are supported by commitments to increase R&D investment.

Soft Drinks: Taxation

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the efficacy of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy since it was introduced in April 2018.

Robert Jenrick: Since its inception, the SDIL has been leading the way in sugar reduction programmes, and over half of sugary drinks have been reformulated, effectively removing 45 million kilogrammes of sugar every year from diets.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Gambling: Internet

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment has he made of effect of online gambling on vulnerable gamblers.

Mims Davies: All operators providing gambling facilities to consumers in Great Britain must be licensed by the Gambling Commission and comply with licence conditions, which include the protection of vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by gambling. Operators are required to prevent underage gambling, to intervene when a customer shows signs of being at risk of harm and to offer the facility to self-exclude. Online operators must also offer a ‘time out’ facility and can make other tools available to help players manage their gambling, such as setting time or spend limits. In May last year the Government published its response to the Consultation on proposals for changes to Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures, which set out a comprehensive package to strengthen protections across all forms of gambling, including online. Next month, the Gambling Commission will bring in new rules requiring operators to complete age and identity verification before consumers can deposit money and gamble, or play free-to-play demo games. The Gambling Commission is also currently consulting on proposals to strengthen the requirement for operators to interact with consumers who may be experiencing gambling related harm. They are also reviewing whether gambling online with credit cards should be restricted, and will explore the potential consequences of doing so.

Football: Racial Discrimination

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking with county football associations to tackle racism in grassroots football.

Mims Davies: I refer the Hon member to my statement to the House on 11th April.

Arts: East Midlands

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to support the creative industries in the East Midlands.

Margot James: Government recognises the role played by creative businesses, including media, right across the UK in local economic growth. Government supports this growth via tax credits, regional development programmes, relocation of Arms Length Bodies associated with the sector, rebasing of public sector broadcasters and putting ‘place’ at the heart of the Industrial Strategy. The department does not collect data on creative industries investment on a region-by-region basis. DCMS funds Arms Length Bodies, which invest in arts and culture on a regional basis. These interventions support future skills and talent that go on to work in the Creative Industries. According to Arts Council England and British Film Institute data, the East Midlands have received grant-in-aid and lottery support of more than £127m since 2016. The East Midlands have also benefited from UK-wide programmes operated by these bodies. Employing over 100,000 people, the East Midlands Creative Industries contributed £2.5bn to the UK economy in 2017. This was an increase of 9% since the previous year and represented faster growth than the wider national economy. As part of the Audience of the Future immersive programme, a sector deal commitment, £4m was awarded to WEAVR – a virtual reality consortium which will work with leading academics and innovators across immersive technologies. This consortium is led by Leicester-based Turtle Entertainment UK.

Music

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the contribution of the music industry to the UK economy.

Margot James: DCMS does not specifically record the contribution of the music industry to the UK economy. The Department does however, produce annual estimates of the contributions of all of its sectors (including the Creative Industries, and within that the ‘music, performing and visual arts’ sub-sector) to the UK economy, measuring GVA, imports and exports of goods and services, employment, and number of enterprises. These statistics are available online at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/dcms-sectors-economic-estimates. The ‘music, performing and visual arts’ sector contributed over £9.5bn to the UK economy in 2017. This contribution has increased by 69% since 2010 and has grown at more than twice the rate of the wider UK economy.

Film

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the contribution of the film industry to the UK economy.

Margot James: The UK film industry is a great success story which contributed over £6 billion to the economy in 2016. It supported nearly 90,000 full time jobs, attracted inward investment worth £1.5 billion, and generated £1.7 billion in exports.